Open house celebrates Alliant solar garden; more likely in the works

Even as Alliant Energy leaders and customers touted the completion of Alliant’s first Iowa community solar garden at an open house at the ImOn Ice Arena May 2, officials implied that more such projects are likely on the horizon. “The first of many, I guess,” said Ben Lipari, Alliant’s vice president of commercial operations. “The expectation has been set, and we’ll have no choice but to deliver.” The 4.5 megawatt Cedar Rapids Community Solar Garden began generating renewable energy in February for the more than 300 Alliant Energy customers who subscribed to the project. Alliant announced the 30-acre project in 2021, and construction began in July 2022. It is north of the 1100 block of 33rd Avenue SW, on Alliant-owned property in Cedar Rapids, and is part of the company’s community solar program. Alliant project manager Kim Halverson, who oversaw the construction of the Cedar Rapids project, said the community solar program provides an opportunity for Alliant customers to share the benefits of renewable solar power without having to install solar panels on their own property. Under the program, subscribers receive a credit on their monthly electric bills based on the production of the solar garden. The bill credits began in March and will continue for the expected 20-year life of the facility, he said. A total of 18,000 solar “blocks,” at 250-watt increments, were offered for subscription in July 2022 at a cost of $291 per block, and Alliant spokesperson Chris Caporale said it took just over a year for the project to be fully subscribed. The company said it expects the bill credits to come to about $30 per block per year, or about $600 over the project’s lifespan. Many of the blocks were purchased by large local entities – Cedar Rapids-based businesses Transamerica and Aegon Asset Management purchased 60% of the available blocks, First Interstate Bank purchased 15%, and the City of Cedar Rapids subscribed to 5%. Alliant allso donated $250,000 in solar blocks to Cedar Valley Habitat for Humanity, and the company expects Habitat for Humanity’s participating residents will receive over $500,000 in bill credits over the 20-year life of the project. The remaining solar blocks were purchased by smaller entities and individual Alliant customers. Mr. Halverson said the Cedar Rapids solar garden has about 10,500 solar panels, generating 540 watts each. The project employed bifacial panels, which can receive and generate solar energy on each side, and the panels are installed on a tracker racking system, which allows them to pivot up to 52 degrees on a single plane to follow the sun. The panels can also be locked in place during high-wind events to prevent damage to the panels and pivot motors, Mr. Halverson said. The system also includes equipment to transform the generated electrical power from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). While not directly connected with the community solar project, an on-site battery energy storage system (BESS) associated with Alliant’s Deer Run substation can store enough energy to power 5,000 homes for about two hours.

May Farlinger, president of Alliant’s Iowa operations, said the decision to locate the company’s first Iowa solar garden in Cedar Rapids was an obvious choice. “For more than five decades, our employees and our predecessors’ employees have been working downtown at our tower and down the street at our Operations Center,” Ms. Farlinger said. “Today, these facilities are the home to nearly 800 employees, people who work every day to make sure that this city and this great state have the essential electricity and natural gas service that we know all of our customers count on.” Cedar Rapids city council member Scott Olson said the city’s investment in the solar garden project will help keep costs down at its fresh water and wastewater treatment facilities. He noted that even as Iowa’s largest manufacturing city, water rates are among the state’s lowest. “One of the things that's important for us is that we're continually investing to make sure that our systems are fully operational and up to date, and yet try to hold the rates for people in our community, both the industry and the citizens, at the lowest level possible,” Mr. Olson said. Zach Bohannon, Cedar Rapids market president for First Interstate Bank, said the project fits well with the bank’s sustainability goals. “We obviously will continue to seek opportunities to find partnerships to invest in local renewable energy, and we’re hoping to replicate these projects in other communities and their respective publicly-owned utility companies that fit our footprint,” Mr. Bohannon said.

Laura Wirth, vice president and head of corporate development at Transamerica, said the company’s investment represents not only a commitment to sustainability, but to its longstanding operations in Cedar Rapids. “The decision to become the primary anchor tenant of this remarkable solar garden stems from a core value to be a force for good in the world,” she said. “By investing in renewable energy here, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help shape the kind of future we all want to see. As we move forward, let us continue to support initiatives like this solar garden that enhance our community’s sustainability and livability. Let's keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible in renewable energy, ensuring a cleaner, brighter future for generations to come.” Based on the high demand for blocks from the first community solar garden, Alliant has already established a waitlist for customers who want to be notified when additional solar blocks become available. While no new projects have yet been announced, more than 220 people have already signed up for notifications, many of them individual Alliant customers, officials said. “This project is just the beginning,” Alliant senior account manager Emily Kaiser said. “There are so many more to come. We're excited to show the benefits that renewable energy can bring to our communities, businesses and homes.”